Can fairy liquid +water be use as a degreaser?

[knonist]

I wonder if solution of fairy liquid & warm water will do the same job.
After all, fairy liquid is a degreaser.
I have asked the chemist at my workplace and they said it should be fine as it is mild

 

[numbnuts]

All washing up liquids has salt added to it, could = rust

 

[Mr Pig]

Yes, but it doesn't work very well.

 

[Trevrev]

Not sure about degreasing, but, fairy liquid & water is great for popping the bead of your tyre onto the rim.

 

[Panter]

Agree with all the above. A detergent will never be as good as a solvent like parafin, White spirit etc

 

[Jonathan M]

All washing up liquids has salt added to it, could = rust

Cheaper chains get pretty rusty anyway, but I wouldn't use something to encourage the problem.

Certainly would not use Fairy liquid/detergent to wash the bike generally due to the salt etc and risk of damage to components/paintwork.

 

[swee'pea99]

Forget the water; just use the fairy neat. It combines with the grease to form an emulsion, which you can rinse off when you've finished scrubbing. (Same as how you clean your hands after working on greasy stuff: fairy plus sugar, good rub a dub, *then* under the tap.)

 

[sawyer280769]

Lidl do a really good engine cleaner that is a great degreaser. Cost 99p and is superb.

 

[gbb]

I'd forget about the salt/rusting issue with Fairy liquid and the like...i've been washing cars for 30 years with the stuff and never suffered any unusual corrosion. If its rinsed off properly, the miniscule amount of salt should'nt make any difference.
To the original question....where on the bike do you want to de-grease ?
On the chain...i wouldnt bother. That tends to be very messy and ineffective because of all the links, grime, oil etc.
Anywhere else...no problem.

Ive just been re-spraying a dirty frame. Obviously its got to be ultra clean, so i used some solvent cleaner for double glazing and paper towel...its very very effective at lifting oil and grease . I wouldnt use that on the chain either BTW.

 

[Globalti]

Paraffin, kerosine, white spirit, turps substitute, barbecue lighter, they're all roughly the same thing and they do dry off slowly. A couple of rinses and you're sorted.

There is salt in dishwash liquid but it's no worse than the road salt you pick up in winter.

Citrus degreaser is just orange terpenes, which is a distillate of orange oil hence the "environmentally sound" label. It evaporates as well.

 

[knonist]

I'd forget about the salt/rusting issue with Fairy liquid and the like...i've been washing cars for 30 years with the stuff and never suffered any unusual corrosion. If its rinsed off properly, the miniscule amount of salt should'nt make any difference.
To the original question....where on the bike do you want to de-grease ?
On the chain...i wouldnt bother. That tends to be very messy and ineffective because of all the links, grime, oil etc.
Anywhere else...no problem.

Ive just been re-spraying a dirty frame. Obviously its got to be ultra clean, so i used some solvent cleaner for double glazing and paper towel...its very very effective at lifting oil and grease . I wouldnt use that on the chain either BTW.

I have a chain cleaner so it shouldn't be too messy, but just wondering if it would damage the chain by oer cleaning it.

 

[Jonathan M]

Wouldn't use it neat as a handwash, would strip too many oils from the skin and if used too often would cause contact dermatitis. Swarfega (the one with balls......) is my handwash of choice for greasy hands.

 

[gbb]

I have a chain cleaner so it shouldn't be too messy, but just wondering if it would damage the chain by oer cleaning it.

I still wouldn't use washing up liquid.
Why...because the solution will get into the pins etc, and it wont, or will take ages, to dry. The residue thats left in the pins etc will then immediately start to break down the fresh lubricant you're going to put on.
If you're going to religiously dry it after washing...perhaps no problem. I'd prefer a solvent based product that'll dry quickly.

We used to have engineers that'd remove an industrial chain on equipment, wash it in paraffin, then immediately re-fit and lubricate it. The same problem arose...the remaining paraffin used to start breaking down the new oil. I knew it was doing no good because i used to monitor breakdowns, costings on machines etc etc etc. Chains were being cleaned and lubed, but it was relatively ineffective, they didnt last any longer. Thorough drying should stop this.

At the end of the day, you can use detergent, solvent...whatever. But i'm a believer that if you're going to do a job...do it the very best you can. A little extra time and effort usually pays dividends.

 

[swee'pea99]

Wouldn't use it neat as a handwash, would strip too many oils from the skin and if used too often would cause contact dermatitis. Swarfega (the one with balls......) is my handwash of choice for greasy hands.

I think it depends on the individual. If my missus did this, I know her hands would go bright red, peel like onions, and most likely drop off at the wrist, but I've been doing it for years with no ill-effects.

 

[knonist]

I still wouldn't use washing up liquid.
Why...because the solution will get into the pins etc, and it wont, or will take ages, to dry. The residue thats left in the pins etc will then immediately start to break down the fresh lubricant you're going to put on.
If you're going to religiously dry it after washing...perhaps no problem. I'd prefer a solvent based product that'll dry quickly.

We used to have engineers that'd remove an industrial chain on equipment, wash it in paraffin, then immediately re-fit and lubricate it. The same problem arose...the remaining paraffin used to start breaking down the new oil. I knew it was doing no good because i used to monitor breakdowns, costings on machines etc etc etc. Chains were being cleaned and lubed, but it was relatively ineffective, they didnt last any longer. Thorough drying should stop this.

At the end of the day, you can use detergent, solvent...whatever. But i'm a believer that if you're going to do a job...do it the very best you can. A little extra time and effort usually pays dividends.

I remember seeing an artical from KMC saying dont use sovent on chains together with chain cleaner. that's why I'm trying to avoid sovent, otherwise abit of MEK wilk do the job.